Issues

OMEGA CARRIES OUT LONGER TERM RESEARCH PROJECTS AS WELL AS REACTING TO CURRENT SITUATIONS OF UNREST OR CONFLICT AS THEY DEVELOP WORLDWIDE.

The broad aims of Omega are to: 

  • Monitor the international military, security and police (MSP) trade in the pursuit of transparency and accountability;
  • Provide campaigning organisations with timely and accurate case study information to lobby for tougher controls on international MSP transfers;
  • Work with NGOs and media agencies to expose companies and governments that flout regulations on transfers of arms and security equipment; and
  • Provide torture survivor support groups with the information that allows them to seek legal redress from the companies producing such equipment.

The activities carried out in each of our programmes include:

  • Rigorous, objective, evidence-based research projects;
  • Reaction and identifying equipment;
  • Monitoring trade and managing data;
  • Lobbying for legislative changes/improved implementation/accountability;
  • Training and capacity-building.

Past work has included investigating weapons and equipment used during the unrest in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, amongst many others, providing research support to organisations on the ground and identifying equipment from photographs to hold to account regimes which allow the supply of military, security and police equipment to conflict zones, areas of unrest or where human rights violations have taken place.

We have submitted several chapters to the Weapons Law Encyclopedia published by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights.

For information on our current programmes and projects, please use the tabs to the right.  For examples of our publications, please click here.